19 quotes found
"Quiet flame, bright flame, quiet flame, night cries."
"Do you remember how beautiful it was, Zampanò? Watching the rain from the window that day?"
"Come here. There should be something here to fit you. I want you to look elegant. I don't want to see you in rags. My women have always looked smart."
"Do only what I tell you to."
"[reciting his act by rote before a crowd] Here we have a piece of chain that is a quarter of an inch thick. It is made of crude iron, stronger than steel. With the simple expansion of my pectoral muscles, or chest, that is, I'll break the hook. [collecting money from the crowd] Thank you, thank you. Now, to do this feat, I must fill myself up like a tire. If a blood vessel should break, I would spit blood. For instance, in Milan a man weighing 240 pounds lost his eyesight doing this trick. That is because the optical nerves take a beating, and once you lose your eyes, you are finished. If there's any delicate person in the audience, I would advise him to look away 'cause there could be blood. [with seemingly great effort, he breaks the chain]"
"What a funny face! Are you a woman, really? Or an artichoke?"
"What if I asked you to come with me? I'll teach you to walk the tightrope, way up in the air, with all the lights on you. I have a car. We'd be traveling all the time. We'd have a world of fun. Would you like that? But no. "Nothing." You have to stay with Zampanò and perform his ridiculous stunts and let him beat you like a donkey. Such is life."
"She's not like Rosa. But she's a good girl, poor thing. She'll do what she's told. She just came out a little strange. But, if she eats every day, maybe she'll get better."
"You want to go with Zampanò and take Rosa's place? He'll teach you a trade. You'll earn some money. And one less mouth to feed around here wouldn't be bad."
"Gelsomina, Zampanò's a good man. He'll treat you well. You'll travel the world. You'll sing and dance. And look what he gave me: 10,000 lire! I have it here, 10,000 lire! We can fix the roof and these poor things can eat. Why did your father ever leave us?"
"Widow: For three nights I've been up at 1:00am to cook. Think I'm tired? If I felt like it, I could dance all night long. Us older women are better than young girls."
"This is the picture YOU'VE HEARD about!"
"Already, word has come from the world's film centers - a great picture is coming...unique in its elemental story and setting...rare in the earthy, human magnificence of its portrayals."
"Giulietta Masina - Gelsomina"
"Anthony Quinn - Zampanò"
"Richard Basehart - Il Matto, the fool"
"Aldo Silvani - Il Signor Giraffa, the circus owner"
"Marcella Rovere - La Vedova, the widow"
"Livia Venturini - La Suorina, the nun"